


Fragments Threaded Together

by Ruunkur



Series: Wait For Me [3]
Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Look it's the non-angst ending!, M/M, There are others I'm not Tagging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 17:31:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: Years pass slowly when you're waiting for a loved one to return.





	Fragments Threaded Together

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like I wanted this mini-series to have an alternate ending. This got stuck in my mind for the past day or so, so here ya have it! There are the first couple of paragraphs that did not get changed. But it starts being different during Daisuke and Koushiro's talk!
> 
> Enjoy~~

Daisuke closed his eyes as he slumped at the break table, both of his hands tugging at his hair. It had been nearly three years since what he and the others had named 'the incident'. Sam, on rare occasions, would make a joke of it and Jake would drag his gaze down while Daisuke would just laugh it off.

He opened his eyes when he heard the click of Sam's shoes on the tile. He pulled his hands from his hair, meeting her gaze with a half hearted wave.

"You ready for one more round?" she asked, resting her hands on her hips.

"What's the round of? Vodka?" he asked, Sam letting out a snort.

"There's a man named Koushiro Izumi looking for you. He said it was important. He and his digimon are seated in a private area for two, with the nearest outlet we could find. They just placed their order, just need you to cook it. I can tell them you're not seeing anyone, as how the last time..."

Daisuke grimaced, standing up and brushing his hands against his jacket. "Man and I was so close to getting to go home." He teased, bumping her shoulder with his own as he walked past her. "I'll bring him the food."

"There won't be a repeat, will there?" Sam asked. "You were miserable for nearly a month afterwards."

"I was not miserable, I was..." Daisuke hesitated, tipping his head back. "Angry and upset and bitter and angry."

"Miserable," Sam summarized. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I won't say one way or another about your own personal life, but if it makes you that way again, I will fly to Japan and kick someone's ass."

"I love you, Sam," Daisuke said, catching her off guard in a quick hug. She let out a snort of protest, taking a step back when he let her go.

"Go on you big goof," Sam smacked his shoulder, Daisuke giving her a small wave before he ducked into the kitchen. He looked over Koushiro's order, preparing it with an ease that he had enjoyed. He had been working at the Sage for eight years, the menu becoming second nature to him.

He plated the food, Jake glancing up from where he stood next to Josh. "Ready to go out?" he asked.

"I'll take this one. Jonathan has the kitchen for however long this meeting goes," he grimaced at that, Jake raising an eyebrow.

"What sort of meeting do you get to have with the technology brains behind the massive Digital World movement?" he asked.

"You remember 'the incident'?" Daisuke asked.

"God, who doesn't?" Jake snorted, Josh glancing between them and ducking as Daisuke narrowed his eyes at him.

"Yeah, it wouldn't have happened if Josh hadn't been unable to come in. No, I know, I'm just teasing," Hh added as Josh opened his mouth to protest, the three of them knowing that car accidents were always a challenge to get through. "So, that was my... two... exes? Ya know, I don't think we ever really broke up. Anyway, I knew them from when I used to live in Japan. Didn't leave on the best of notes, just disappeared, ya know? Came here. Spent time getting my culinary degree..." He trailed off. "You two don't care. I know Koushiro from back in the day."

"I don't believe it." Josh glanced between Daisuke and Jake, Daisuke raising an eyebrow.

"Much fun as it is to chat, I have food to take out. I'll serve him. Don't worry, I already promised Sam that there wouldn't be another incident like the last one," Daisuke called over his shoulder to Jake as the man began to protest, carrying the tray with a determination he did not feel as he headed to the small corner table that Sam had mentioned.

He saw Tentomon sitting in the chair, Koushiro letting out a hum of annoyance as he worked at a problem on his computer, the appetizer already demolished.

"Your food," Daisuke set the tray down on the small folding stand he had grabbed, moving to put the plate on the table. Koushiro looked up, nodding at him before looking back at his table. He glanced back up, frowning.

"You aren't the same waiter as before," he observed, saving his work and shutting the laptop.

"No, he's not," Tentomon agreed. "Can't you put your work aside for even a moment, Koushiro?"

"No, I am in the middle-" Koushiro began, frowning.

"Honestly, you don't take a break, ever, do you?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "Sam said you wanted to talk to me. I had to promise that there wouldn't be another incident before she thought it would be safe enough to unleash me on you. Just so you know, this is my own cooking and I hope you enjoy it Koushiro. She also threatened to fly to Japan and kick someone's ass if it went as bad as it did the last time."

"I take breaks!" Koushiro said, sounding almost offended by the suggestion.

"News flash dork, you're eating in a high end restaurant and we placed you next to the nearest outlet we have on the floor," Daisuke pointed out, watching as Koushiro blushed. He cleared his throat, dragging his gaze to the food as if he realized it was there. Tentomon was already halfway through his first plate, Daisuke laughing. "No, but really, why are you here?"

"Ah, oh… uhm..." Koushiro hesitated, swallowing hard. "I was able to locate V-mon's missing data," he began, Daisuke feeling himself freeze.

"That's... a joke." He felt something sharp stab him in the chest when Koushiro spoke. "I'm not here to listen to this crap, Izumi," he warned, glancing over his shoulder as he kept his voice level, the smile still fixed on his face. Already, he could see several guests glance over their shoulders to see what was keeping Daisuke so long at the table and wonder to themselves if they should be worried.

"Wait, give me five minutes to explain." Koushiro opened his laptop once more, pulling up the needed information, along with the cyberspace room. "I was looking for their code, after their species-"

"Their?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as his smile fell.

"Wormmon and V-mon both," Koushiro hesitated, swallowing and looking up at him. "I found their data, in a sort of recycling bin, but not the same place that Apocylomon came from. I was searching for something else, when I came across the code fragments. I was able to recreate them-"

"Recreate them?" Daisuke's voice sounded lost as he tried to piece together the information. There was confusion, before he felt cold and fear overtake it. "What right do you have to try and play god, Izumi?" he demanded, keeping his voice low as the implications of what Koushiro was saying unfurled in his mind.

"It's not playing god," Koushiro shot back, Daisuke taking in how Tentomon tensed, his second plate of food already gone. "It's righting the wrong that Homeostasis and Yggdrasil didn't bother to fix when they should have."

"They're gone!" Daisuke snapped, the cold uncovering the fear that Daisuke had tucked away. "I'm tired of you and everyone else showing up here like it's nothing. Can't you just accept that what happened-"

"Here," Koushiro tapped on the screen, Daisuke tensing as he looked in the Cyberspace. He saw something green move across the screen, Wormmon pausing at the front before he hesitantly waved at Daisuke.

He reached out, fingers trembling as another blur -they were only blurry because of the tears, Daisuke realized- hopped across the screen.

"Daisuke!"

Chibimon's voice struck like a cord to Daisuke's chest, the man pulling back his hand and pressing his hand to his face. "They're back."

"Yes, they are."

Daisuke lifted a hand, wiping it across his eyes to get rid of the tears. "They're back," he repeated again and Koushiro nodded, tilting his laptop towards Daisuke. There was a blur and Daisuke felt the solid weight of Chibimon press against his chest. He curled his fingers into the digimon's fur, glad he had the foresight to set the tray down.

"I'm not asking you to come back to Japan, Daisuke. I wanted to right a wrong that Homeostasis couldn't be arsed to fix themselves," Koushiro explained.

"You managed this?"

Koushiro nodded, his gaze darting to Tentomon. "I had help, from Tentomon. They have their memories, they're able to evolve, from what I can tell of Wormmon. I wish I had been able to do this sooner. Ken often... asked me not to, but..."

Daisuke shook his head, his fingers digging into his partner's sides. It wasn't until the small digimon gave a squeak of protest that Daisuke relaxed his grip.

"You didn't have to do this at all, Koushiro."

"You weren't the only one that lost something, Daisuke."

"I know that." They had lost more than Daisuke would care to ever admit. "I never didn't know that. It was something I accepted. I left because I needed to come to terms with things on my own."

Koushiro let out a sigh, nodding at Wormmon and shutting his laptop once he made sure all the information was saved. "Ken fought me on the matter, so I worked on it without his knowledge. We fucked up, Daisuke. This was the small way that I could make it right, to both you and Ken. Homeostasis thought it would be best to just let your digimon pass, because it was not necessary. I fought for it, because it was.You don't have to come back to Japan. But, you should have your partner with you."

Daisuke listened to the speech, amazed by the passion in it. His gaze slid from Koushiro to Chibimon, the digimon lifting his head and _smiling_ at Daisuke.

"Thank you," he murmured, taking a step back. "I... gotta get back to the kitchen."

"Of course. Thank you for the taking the time to talk with me," Koushiro responded and Daisuke nodded, looking down at Chibimon once more. "Before you go!"

Daisuke looked up from where he had grabbed the tray, Chibimon having been shifted to one arm. Koushiro dug around in his computer bag, holding out the silver object once he found it.

"The D-terminal?" Daisuke asked, setting the tray down once more and accepting it.

"I modified it to be updated to the newer versions that we've been producing. This is based off the original and has a closed channel for only us twelve. All of our emails and numbers are programmed into it, if you need to get ahold of us. It also contains a cyberspace for Chibimon, if you need to transport him easier. It's connected to a private server that will be your use only. There is a link to the other server, in case you want to... let him hang out with the others?" Koushiro gave a shrug as Daisuke pocketed the object.

"You think of everything, don't you, Koushiro?" he asked.

Koushiro let out a laugh. "Not really..." he mumbled, his face flashing a bright red. "The others won't be able to email you until you activate it. No one will know that you did, but I figured it would be better than being flooded with unwanted messages and calls..."

"Koushiro..." Tentomon buzzed, the man glancing at him.

"Thank you," Daisuke said again, picking up the tray. He glanced over his shoulder, glad to see that the other patrons had gone back to their own meals. "I appreciate the thought into this trip."

Koushiro smiled, watching as Chibimon squirmed out of Daisuke's grip, quickly taking a place on head head as the man stepped away from the table. It was a short walk back to the kitchen, but Daisuke felt lighter. Jake glanced at him before doing a double take, his eyebrows raising.

"You were not wearing a blue... thing before, were you?" he asked, watching as Daisuke set the tray down. He glanced to Jake, taking a place in an empty chair and forcing himself to breathe.

"No, I wasn't," Daisuke agreed, taking Chibimon off his head. "Some people don't know how to let shit lie, but I don't know..."

"Are you unhappy to see me, Daisuke?" Chibimon asked, looking up at his partner and it was worth it to see Jake jump.

"Holy shit..." he whispered.

"I am very happy to see you, Chibimon," Daisuke promised. "Chibimon, meet my coworker. His name is Jake. Jake, this is Chibimon."

Jake took a moment to process the statement, his gaze drifting from Daisuke to Chibimon. "The digimon from Japan..."

"Those are my... old friends, yeah," Daisuke agreed. "Izumi decided to try and play god. Recreate mine and Ken's partners. He succeeded."

"Daisuke?"

He glanced up when he heard Sam's voice, sticking her head through the door.

"Yeah?" he asked, wiping his sleeve across his face.

"Why is it whenever I have you help those people, you always seem to come back here in... what is that?" she asked, her gaze dropping down to Chibimon.

"This is Chibimon," Daisuke said, holding him up to Sam. "He's an old time friend."

The digimon waved at her, smiling and Daisuke plopped him back onto his lap. "Do you mind if I cut out for the night?"

Sam grimaced but nodded. "There's not anything that you're needed for. You sure you're okay?" Sam asked and Daisuke shook his head.

"I don't know what I am," he admitted.

"You're going home," Sam decided, her gaze flicking over him. He nodded, realizing that his hands were shaking as he held Chibimon tighter to him. The digimon squirmed again, Sam letting her gaze slide to Jake. "Can you make sure he gets home?"

Jake frowned but nodded, hurrying over and glancing down at Chibimon in worry. "Sure," he promised. "That thing isn't going to bite me, is he?"

Daisuke glanced down at Chibimon, feeling his world turn into a narrow scope where the only thing he could see was the digimon. He was shaking, badly enough that had the baby digimon looking at him. Bad enough that Sam was coming over and Jake was waving a hand in front of his face.

"Hey, you're okay."

Daisuke glanced up when he heard Jake's voice, the man reaching out and touching his shoulder. Daisuke nodded, taking several deep breaths as he stood, careful to not lose his balance. He could feel a weariness settle in him, Chibimon taking the moment to scramble back up to his shoulder.

"Go home, Daisuke," Sam suggested.

He nodded, feeling Jake tug on his wrist. He heard Chibimon growl, lifting his free hand up and touching his head. "Jake's okay," he mumbled, the trio walking through the back and heading to the car. They got into Daisuke's car, Jake taking the driver's seat.

"You don't have to do this." Daisuke's voice was raw as he considered what had passed at the restaurant, Jake looking over him. He just shook his head, starting the car as Chibimon bounded to the back seat to stare out the window. Daisuke turned his gaze to Jake, wondering why he felt so lost.

"I'm pretty sure Sam would fire me if I didn't make sure you got home in one piece," Jake chirped, Daisuke raising an eyebrow. "She's worried about you, you know?"

Daisuke gave out a noncommittal hum, his gaze returning to the window as Jake maneuvered the crowded strip street, using several side streets to get out faster.

"You can talk to me, if you want to." Jake offered, as the silence dragged on them, both of them forgetting Chibimon's presence. Inwardly, Daisuke wondered how he could have ever forgotten the small digimon. Life had been only half lived, since the Meicoomon event, since the first time he had woken only to find Wormmon and V-mon completely gone from their lives.

"I am tired," he settled on, the words feeling odd. "There are..." he hesitates, considering his words before he shrugs. "There are things I had to work around when I was younger. You know, the magical, fantastical things! Going to the digital world, finding my partner. Being part of something bigger than I thought possible! Having the best boyfriends I could have asked for, even if one was originally a standoffish asshole trying to take over the digital world because of some weed growing in his neck."

"We took care of that," Chibimon chirped, bouncing back to Daisuke's lap at the mention of the digital world.

Daisuke smiled, resting his hand on the digimon. "Yeah, we did a lot of good, didn't we?" he murmured.

Jake looked started, turning to stare at Daisuke with wide eyes when they were at a red light. Daisuke merely shrugged.

"About... four years after the first visit to the digital world, us newer chosen were there, trying to deal with something. None of us could handle it, the four of us that is to say. It overpowered us. Deleted our digimon and sent us into comas, probably?" He scratched his ear as he thought about it. On his lap, he could feel Chibimon shake at the mention of what had happened. 

"That wasn't your fault," Chibimon whined and Daisuke sighed.

"No, it wasn't."

"How did you end up in comas?" Jake asked, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. He had heard of the events of the Digital World, had followed the stories and thought it had been so cool, when it was happening. Now, he understood so much more about Daisuke.

"Don't know about that one, doctors couldn't explain it. When we woke up, it was... months later. Our friends didn't even seem to notice that we were gone -the light's green- and the only reason that Takeru and Hikari went looking for Ken was because the enemy was using the Kaiser facade that Ken had, when we first went there. I tried, for three years, to get over it. When Miyako and Iori got their partners' eggs, we were thrilled for them. It was a sign the digital world was getting better, right?" Daisuke snorted, feeling the tears begin to fill his eyes again. It had been three years of being strung along. Three years of being told maybe the next day they would find something.

The anger had festered and Daisuke didn't know what to do with it.

"Yeah..." Jake frowned, the car already moving.

"I tried to move on, to be okay with the fact that V-mon hadn't come back like the others. I had the relationship with Takeru and Ken. I was... I wasn't happy, per say. I was wearing a false smile every day and when I was eighteen, I had enough. I had several options to come to Vegas for culinary schools, so I went. Didn't tell anyone I was going." Daisuke pressed his fingers to the scar on his thumb, closing his eyes until Chibimon nudged him. The silence was too much for the digimon, it seemed. "I am tired of listening to the voices in my head that they should have found us, that they should have looked harder, back then. That they should have even noticed that we had gone. Jun told me that Takeru and Ken would show up once a week, talk with my family and see if they could get anything out of them about where I was after I left. My parents and Jun never told them where I had gone. I wanted, needed, time to think."

"They should have!" Chibimon growled, his fur puffing up in anger. "Ken told me what happened and they gave up!"

"No, it was like we didn't exist. Like they were cleansed of their memories of us, while Meicoomon was causing a mess." Daisuke gave a sharp, sad laugh. The panic attack from prior was fading, his hands weren't shaking any longer.

"You were there, then," Jake mused and Daisuke nodded, Chibimon rolling his eyes.

"Not for the fight with Meicoomon, but for everything else. I couldn't say what happened there, but I suppose..." He shrugged. "I lost a lot more in those months than I realized. Seeing them..." He shook his head, unable to continue to sentence.

"And the man, today?" Jake asked.

"He's fucking with things that he doesn't have any right to." Daisuke tilted his head, resting against the car window and watching the streetlights pass. Chibimon frowned, pressing his paws to Daisuke's chest.

"You don't mean that, right? You are happy to see me, right?"

"I am thrilled to have you back in my life, Chibimon. I think that Koushiro is fucking with things that he shouldn't, but that's not your fault. You are my partner, nothing can change that," Daisuke promised, wrapping an arm around Chibimon and holding him against his chest.

"What about your... boyfriends?" Jake asked.

"I could go back, both Ken and Takeru promised that. I could go back, no questions asked. Bu, at what cost do you keep going back? When do you move on?" Daisuke whispered, closing his eyes.

"You don't mean that...?" Chibimon whispered, the fear leaking through his words and Daisuke shook his head.

"There are a lot of things that we have to sort out as adults that wasn't an issue as a kid, Chibimon," Daisuke responded, watching as he wilted under the statement, confused.

"Are you happy here?" Jake asked.

"I'm tired," Daisuke responded as Jake pulled into his complex. "You... want to stay the night or something?" It was nearly one in the morning, Daisuke already feeling relieved that Sam had sent him home. He made a mental note to text her later and thank her for letting him leave.

"Sure, if you don't mind." Jake parked the car, turning it off and following Daisuke up to his apartment. He flicked on the light, greeting his cat by affectionately moving her out of the way with his foot before gesturing for Jake to come in. Chibimon hopped out of his arms, walking up to the cat and meeting her gaze. She let out a low growl, jumping away from Chibimon and initiating a game of chase.

Daisuke tossed his stuff on the small table that was propped up in the corner of his studio apartment, grimacing. "It's not clean, but-"

"This is great. I'll take the floor," Jake cut him off, staring Daisuke down.

"We can share the bed," Daisuke shrugged, "but if you don't want to... I used to fit three guys on a twin mattress. A queen sized bed with two people is no issue at all. Two people, a cat, and a digimon," he corrected as Chibimon pounced on the cat with a soft peal of laughter.

Jake hesitated before he nodded, moving to sit down on the bed. Daisuke headed into the bathroom, taking extra clothes and hoping in a quick shower, feeling the need to get rid of a layer of grim that probably didn't exist. His mind wandered to the promise that Takeru and Ken had made three years ago, his fingers scrubbing over his face. "Yeah, fucking right. Bet they did it all..." He continued to grumble to himself as he got out of the shower, drying off and changing into a set of hardly used pajamas.

He saw Jake sitting on the bed, Chibimon settled in front of him and describing the digital world. Daisuke walked to the table, pulling out the D-terminal and looking it over. Since the last time he had seen it, there had been several improvements made, most notable being that it ran off of digital world data, rather than standard wifi. He flipped it open, sitting in a chair and wading through the start of sixteen years of messages from the others, though he noted that after five years, it soon became only Takeru and Ken trying to reach out to him.

And, after the latest improvement, it had a notification informing him to initiate contact in order for anyone to see if he was available for messaging.

"What flung you so far back in the digital age?" Jake joked, catching a glance at the D-terminal. Chibimon took that moment to scramble back to Daisuke, taking a spot on his shoulder.

"I'll have you know that this was the highest grade technology twenty years ago." Daisuke looked up, snapping the D-terminal shut and setting it to the side. "And it's only gotten better since then, if the improvements I'm seeing are anything to go by. Besides, this baby runs off of digital data, rather than a phone service or wifi. Meaning, as long as there is a connection to the digital world, I can use it whenever I want."

Jake nodded, watching as Daisuke set it on the table before he flung himself down next to Jake, sprawling on his half of the bed for the night. Chibimon adjusted himself next to Daisuke's side, placing himself between Jake and his partner with noticeable care. "I'll make okonomiyaki when we get up."

"Okonomiyaki?" Jake repeated, raising an eyebrow as Daisuke flipped off the lights with the switch just above his head.

"Your okonomiyaki is the best, Daisuke!" Chibimon grinned, snuggling next to his side.

"It's great, you'll love it." He shut his eyes, turning on his side. He scooped Chibimon with him, listening to Jake breathe for a couple of minutes before the man cleared his throat.

"You going to head back?"

Daisuke frowned, caught off guard by the question. He opened his eyes, turning to look at him. "Head back where?"

"Home," Jake responded. "Japan," he clarified. "Eventually, you are going to have to accept the fact that things happened. It wasn't in your control, was it?"

"No, but..." Daisuke sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and laying on his back. "I am content with where I am."

"And those two boyfriends of yours?" Jake asked.

Daisuke grimaced, glancing at him before shoving him lightly. "They're insane if they think waiting for me will make any difference. They're..."

"They miss you," Chibimon interjected and he felt a pain enter his heart at those words.

"They love you," Jake guessed and Daisuke nodded. He stared up at the ceiling of the apartment, his eyes tracing the glow in the dark stars he had plastered up there.

"What do you think I should do?" He turned his head, looking at Jake.

The man gave a small hum before he shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Daisuke admitted, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes. "I don't know."

***

Takeru studied the drink in his hand, reading the label as he squinted. "Why does this seem to contain more sugar than alcohol?"

"Because I like sweet drinks," Ken reached over, plucking the bottle from his hand and placing it on the table. "How are you?"

Takeru slumped his shoulders before he shrugged, his gaze sliding over to where Wormmon, and Patamon were sleeping together. "It's been a long day," he summarized.

"Yes, I suppose it has." Ken agreed, leaning against the table and meeting Takeru's gaze. "Another two years come and gone." He opened the bottle, tipping it towards the blond. Takeru raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"I can't believe you're drinking."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Ken shrugged, taking a another swig of the drink. "We deal with our guilt in our own ways."

Takeru let out a hum, resting his forearms on the table before placing his chin on his wrists, looking up at Ken. "What do you think he's doing, right now?"

Ken considered the question, tilting the bottle and examining the color of it in the light. "Hard to say," he admitted.

"Is it wrong to still miss him?" Takeru closed his eyes as he spoke, considering their partner for a moment. It had been two years since Koushiro had been able to retrieve Wormmon and V-mon, the man not telling them what Daisuke had said beyond informing them that Chibimon would be staying in America. Ken tapped the D-terminal in front of him, his finger creating a soothing pattern that Takeru synced his breathing with. The pair stayed like this for several minutes, Takeru jerking when he heard his D-Terminal jingle.

He reached towards it, selecting answer and meeting his brother's gaze.

"What are you two up to?" Yamato asked, Takeru setting the device down so he could see both men Ken tipped the bottle in Yamato's direction before taking a swig, Takeru shrugging.

"Trying to decide what to cook for dinner," he commented, Ken raising an eyebrow at Takeru.

"Oh," Yamato frowned, glancing between him and Ken on the small screen. "Taichi, Sora, and I are having a small get together tonight. You're welcome to come over if you want."

"Who all is coming?" Ken asked, setting his drink down and moving to stand behind Takeru, who had sat up as Yamato spoke.

"Just the old gang," Yamato shrugged.

"I'm in if I don't have to cook." Takeru glanced at Ken, the man considering before he nodded in agreement.

"We can be there in an hour."

"It starts at five." Yamato glanced over his shoulder, the camera wavering as he adjusted his hold. "Looking forward to seeing you!" He waved, the video call ending as Takeru sighed, rubbing his temples. Ken studied his drink once more, downing the rest of it and setting the empty bottle to the side.

He turned when he heard his D-terminal go off, walking over to it and flicking it open, selecting the new message.

From: Unknown Sender

_Hey, can you be at the airport in an hour...?_

He frowned as he read over the message, turning to look at Takeru. "What do you make of this?"

"Someone who got the wrong number," Takeru suggested, glacing as he read the text, arching an eyebrow. "What else is there to think about?"

"Daisuke."

The room felt tense when Ken uttered the name, feeling the taste of ashes on his mouth. He glanced towards the pair of sleeping digimon, Takeru tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "What would be the point of reaching out like that?"

"We could always go and see if we can find whoever it was that was looking for a ride," Ken pointed out, the feeling of dread spreading over him. "It's probably not him," he added, pain prickling through him when he saw Takeru deflate.

Takeru's gaze turned towards the sleeping Chibimon, who was at the bottom of the pile. "You don't think...?"

Ken shook his head. "Koushiro didn't say one way or another what his feelings were. You know how he is. He feels so strongly about everything. He burns bright and doesn't let himself forget."

Takeru nodded, getting up and stretching. "Guess I'll take a shower." He wandered away, Ken toying with his D-Terminal. He hesitated, selecting Koushiro's number and giving him a call. It was several rings before the man answered, Ken clearing his throat.

"Good afternoon Koushiro," he spoke, tone soft as he listened to the water in the bathroom.

"Afternoon Ken, what can I do for you?" Koushiro sounded tired, Ken frowning as he wondered what project the man was working on now.

"Sorry for bothering you, I just had a question regarding the D-terminals." Ken glanced at his on the table, leaning against the object in thought.

"Sure, did something happen to yours?" Koushiro asked, suddenly sounding more awake.

"I wanted to confirm that they were secured," Ken explained. "That only certain... people could contact each other on them."

Koushiro hummed in agreement. "They're set to each other. No one would be able to contact any of us if they didn't have one of the original twelve D-terminals. Did something happen?"

"I got a message on it from an unknown sender," Ken explained.

Koushiro hesitated, Ken raising an eyebrow as the man took a breath. "Daisuke has one."

"Daisuke," Ken blinked, staring at the ceiling. "So there is...?"

"Yeah,"

There was the sound of keys tapping on the other end of the phone, Ken feeling anxious as he waited for Koushiro's answer.

"It looks like it was used recently too," he said finally, the keys falling silent.

Ken hummed, glancing at the digimon once more. "Thank you for the information. I shall see you tonight."

"See you tonight," Koushiro agreed, Ken hanging up the call and setting his phone aside. He picked up the D-terminal, studying the message. He didn't look up until Takeru walked back into the room, sliding his arms around Ken's waist and resting his chin on the man's shoulder.

Ken was several inches taller, Takeru having to strain to get his chin up there when Ken didn't lean against him, letting Takeru support his weight.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at Ken's D-terminal.

"Apparently going to the airport. Care to join me?" Ken asked, moving to glance at his partner.

Takeru raised an eyebrow, considering it before he nodded. "I don't suppose it would hurt."

Ken nodded, shrugging out of Takeru's grip. "We leave in ten minutes."

"I'm driving," Takeru informed Ken, watching him grab a second drink and opening the bottle. Ken tipped it towards him, raising an eyebrow before he downed it in less than two minutes. They collected the digimon, placing them in the back seat of the car while Takeru got into the driver’s seat.

Ken grimaced as he stared out the window, head tilted back as he considered the possibility that it was Daisuke.

"What are we going to do?"

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Takeru spoke, his gaze sliding to the blond. He considered the question, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "We told him we would wait."

He watched as Takeru's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his face set into a grimace. "I know."

They continued to drive in silence, the pair of them watching the rain fall. They pulled up into the airport parking lot, Takeru getting them a spot. It was tense as they headed down to baggage claim, Ken pulling to the D-terminal and pulling up the message.

From: Unknown Sender

_I'm down by baggage claim fifteen_

Ken frowned as he looked towards the baggage claim, finding the number he needed. Takeru trailed behind them, both of them searching for the man they had loved for years. It took them a moment to spot the man that was waving at them, his brightly colored hair causing both Takeru and Ken to share a glance.

The hair wasn't the only thing that had changed, Ken noticed as the man waved away, a bright smile like the one that neither man had seen since before the Meicoomon incident plastered on his face. Sitting on his shoulder, almost lost in the hair was V-mon, who jumped down when he saw the pair.

"Ken!" V-mon shouted, jumping head first into Ken's chest. His arms went up to wrap around the digimon as the man took slow steps towards them. Takeru hurried over to him while Ken was distracted, Daisuke taking a breath before pulling Takeru into a hug, his fingers digging into the back of his shirt.

"I'm so sorry," Daisuke whispered, Takeru lifting his hands to hug Daisuke back. He pressed his fingers into the man's back, realizing that they were causing a scene. Ken glanced over to the pair, walking over as V-mon babbled in his ear.

Daisuke raised his gaze, meeting Ken's and letting go of Takeru with one arm to yank Ken into the hug. Ken returned it, V-mon squirming out of Ken's grip.

"Do you have any luggage?" Takeru asked, taking a step back when Daisuke finally let them go. He raised a hand, using the sleeve to wipe away the tears that had spilled.

"No, I... I sent some of my stuff that I needed to Jun. I just need to pick it up in a couple of days, is all." Daisuke took a step back, taking a breath and smiling at them as V-mon hopped back up to his shoulder.

"Are you surprised to see us?" the digimon asked, Ken nodding in response as Takeru started to head back to the car, keys held loosely in his hand.

"You couldn't have... said anything?" Ken asked, reaching out and taking Daisuke's hand in his, still unable to believe that the man was there. He felt like Daisuke could dissolve at any moment, V-mon letting out a laugh.

Daisuke just shrugged, closing his eyes. "I didn't know if I was able to come back," he admitted. "I only decided three weeks ago. I sent stuff over, sure. I just wasn't sure if I could go through with it. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me if I didn't."

He ran his hand through his electric green hair, Takeru glancing back over at him when he saw the motion.

"What did you do to your hair?" Takeru asked.

Daisuke glanced at it, shrugging. "Jake's idea. I thought it clashed well with V-mon and Sam got a laugh out of it at the going away party last night."

"So, what are you going to do now that you're in town?" Takeru asked and Daisuke hesitated. They had made it to the car, Patamon and Wormmon stirring as they heard the additional voices. They gave each other a look when they realized who was in the car, dropping onto Daisuke's lap with words that overlayed and were hard for all three of them to make out. Patamon pressed against Daisuke's chest, while Wormmon settled on his lap, both of them falling silent so Daisuke could answer Takeru's question.

Daisuke gave them an honest shrug. "I haven't worked out that far. Sam's giving me an amazing recommendation, wherever I go. I was... I want to be with both of you, again. I messed up when I left the first time, but I want to fix it. Will you have me?" Daisuke asked.

Takeru turned on the car, closing his eyes before he backed out of the space. "We need to have an open line of communication," he began and Daisuke nodded, Ken catching his reflection in the mirror. His hands were cradling Wormmon, even as Patamon settled on his head, V-mon happy to hang off his shoulder.

"We told you that we would wait for you," Ken murmured. "No matter how long it took. I was... worried that you would go off on Koushiro, after he reformatted our partners. I was surprised when he didn't come home with Chibimon..."

"I considered it," Daisuke admitted. "I considered feeding into my anger and telling Koushiro that I wanted nothing to do with any of you. I wanted to feed into my anger and let it control me. But, what would that have gotten me in the end? I would still be in Vegas. Everything that happened with Meicoomon would have still happened. It would have left me bitter, pondering over the what ifs of life."

"It took Daisuke nearly a year and a half to realize how much me hissed you," V-mon spoke up, Daisuke glancing towards his partner. "He would be depressed, but it was always about something else. He would pass it off as something that didn't matter. But, he did miss you. Even when he was flirted with, he stayed true to both of you."

Takeru raised an eyebrow, watching as the digimon smirked. Daisuke rolled his eyes, letting otu a sigh.

"V-mon has the short of it," he admitted. "I didn't know what I wanted, back then. I still don't know what I want. There are a lot of things that can go wrong at any minute. But, you have to live in the moment, don't you?"

Ken laughed, reaching his hand back and placing it on Daisuke's knee. "We would have waited until the end of time, for you to return to us, Daisuke."

Takeru nodded, flashing Daisuke a smile as he pulled up to a red light. "Do you want to see the others today, or do you want to go home?"

Daisuke felt his heart squeeze at the word home, his breathing hitching as Takeru turned to look at him. He had dreamed of coming home for so long and now he was there. He reached forward, using his free hand to touch Ken's shoulder, than Takeru's.

"I want to go home," he admitted. "Do you want to go see the others first or go home?"

Takeru hesitated, his gaze darting to Ken.

"They can learn in the morning that you're back. For now, we have several years worth of catching up, Motomiya," Ken purred, his hand trailing along Daisuke's inner thigh before he turned forward in his seat, Wormmon letting out a small giggle as Patamon settled back on the seat when Takeru gave him the look.

"Thank you," Daisuke breathed.

"Welcome home, Daisuke."


End file.
